An interesting thing is happening to me in improv class: I’m anticipating less.
Truth be told, I’m naturally more comfortable if I know ahead of time what I’m going to say or do. I mean, planning is good, right? I figure, I’m far less likely to look the fool if I’ve sorted out a clever response in advance. Right? Yeah…or maybe not so much.
The funny thing with improv is that if my mind is full of an idea, it’s not open. That means, when you turn to me and say something I didn’t anticipate (and I NEVER know what you are going to say), it takes me twice as long to come back with a response – because I have to get rid of my idea first, then make mental space for a new one. My “great idea” keeps me from being nimble.
It’s actually stressful to fixate on an idea and strategize how to work it into the scene the few moments before the action turns to me.
Let me illustrate:
The other person is speaking and while they are, my inner monologue is something like, “Oh crap, they are going to turn to me in a sec. What can I do? It would be awesome to work in the ogre who is getting set up with a princess. How does it relate? Searching…Searching….” And while I’m searching, they are talking about something that wouldn’t jive with at all, like, going to the dentist. Then, they turn to me, asking about a cavity, and I’m like:
Blink.
Blink. Blink.
(Ummmm. Whuuut?)
(Oh, uh, dentist? Dentist. Right. A dentist.)
(What were they saying? Crap, I don’t know where to go with this.)
You get the idea.
So, in the last class, I decided that when we played improv games, no matter how much I wanted to obsess about my next good idea, I’d say a silent “Thank you, but no thank you” to it, put it away, keep my mind blank, and go with my instincts.
And here’s the kicker: Thinking less turned out to be quite liberating. Sometimes I came up with something not particularly interesting. But, sometimes, I was really tickled by how easily I could keep the scene going. It was great, and I found myself genuinely enjoying the experience more.
Turns out that planning ahead was a surprising waste of time and energy. Imagine that.
—–
This series is now complete. Read about the rest of my improv experiences at BATS Theater:
Improv Class #1: Getting Out Of My Own Way
Improv Class #2: An Agile Mind
Improv Class #4: Reach Beyond the Obvious
Improv Class #5: Choose Your Status
Not sure if you are doing this for professional development or pure enjoyment but I think this would be a great way to learn how to be awesome in front of clients. Do you see a correlation between improv and client dealings?
Not to mention this just sounds like a great time
Hey, Russell. Definitely a good point — I’ve been thinking I might write a post about that when I finish — a summary of the experience and applications to the real world (ie: client relations). I appreciate the nudge!
I look forward to it!
[...] previous posts about my improv class at BATS Theater: Improv Class #3: Don’t Anticipate Improv Class #2: An Agile Mind Improv Class #1: Getting Out Of My Own [...]
[...] previous posts about my improv class at BATS Theater: Improv Class #4: Reach Beyond the Obvious Improv Class #3: Don’t Anticipate Improv Class #2: An Agile Mind Improv Class #1: Getting Out Of My Own [...]
[...] Class #1: Getting Out of My Own Way Improv Class #3: Don’t Anticipate Improv Class #4: Reach Beyond the Obvious Improv Class #5: Choose Your [...]